S. Korea's food exports hit record high in 2025

▲ Instant noodles, or "ramyeon," are displayed on shelves at a supermarket in Seoul, in this Oct. 28, 2025, file photo. (Yonhap)

S Korea-food exports

S. Korea's food exports hit record high in 2025

SEJONG, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's exports of food and agriculture-related products reached a record high of US$13.62 billion in 2025, driven by the global popularity of Korean food products, such as "ramyeon" noodles, sauces and fruits, the agriculture ministry said Monday.

Exports in the "K-Food Plus" sector expanded 5.1 percent from a year earlier to the new annual high, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. K-Food Plus is a term coined by the local government to promote exports of Korean food and agricultural goods, including farm machinery and veterinary medicine.

In detail, outbound shipments of agricultural and food products rose 4.3 percent on-year to $10.41 billion, surpassing the $100 billion mark for the first time and marking the 10th consecutive year of on-year increase.

Exports of agriculture industry-related products, such as farm machinery and veterinary medicine, jumped 8 percent on-year to the highest-ever figure of $3.22 billion last year, according to the ministry.

The ministry attributed the strong performance in food exports to record outbound shipments of Korean instant noodle products, also known as "ramyeon," and 11 other products, including sauces, kimchi, ice cream, strawberries and pork.

Ramyeon exports hit $1.5 billion for the first time, surging 21.9 percent from a year earlier, while exports of sauces climbed 4.6 percent to $411.9 million.

Shipments of ice cream jumped 21.6 percent to $111.3 million and grape exports soared 46.3 percent to $84.7 million. Exports of strawberries grew 4 percent to $72 million.

By region, the United States was the biggest importer of Korean agro-food products, with shipments adding 13.2 percent on-year to $1.8 billion in 2025, amid the growing popularity of Korean ramyeon, sauces and ice cream there.

Exports to China went up 5.1 percent to $1.58 billion, led by robust demand for spicy ramyeon and sauces for fried chicken and "tteokbokki," or spicy street food made with rice cakes.

Shipments to Europe expanded 13.6 percent to $773.7 million amid strong demand for K-street food, kimchi and chicken-related products, while exports to the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Middle East advanced 22.6 percent to $411.6 million.

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